Mechanism for closing carton ends



April 1941- c. w. HARTMANN 2,238,388

MECHANISM FOR CLOSING CARTON ENDS Filed April 27, 1940 3 Sheets-Shet l April 15, 1941. c. w. HARTMANN MECHANISM FOR CLOSING CARTON ENDS Filed April 27, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 .Ylllllll I April 15, 1941. c. w. HARTMANN I MECHANISM FOR CLOSING CARTON ENDS Filed April 27, 1940 '5 Sheets-Sheet 5 /NVENTOP C'- M HAQTMANN PE? 52w Patented Apr. 15, 1941 IWECHANISM FOR CL Carl Wilhelm Hartmann, Lyngby,

assignor to Satona Limited, Scotland hagen, Denmark,

Edinburgh,

QSIN G CARTON ENDS near Copen- Application April 27, 1940, Serial No. 332,033

Great Britain May 24, 1939 5 Claims. 01. ca -26.8)

This invention relates to improved mechanism for closing carton ends for use with machines for supplying empty cartons to treating (e. g. waxproofing) or filling stages on carton treating or filling machines. In such machines it is known to supply on to formers members, pre-creased at their ends for folding into closed bases and upper ends, and the object of this invention is to provide means for effectively closing the pre-creased base ends of such cartons. The invention is useful in connection with square section cartons having what are known as rosette bases, each carton blank being brought to tubular form e. g. as described in c-o-pending application No. 332,030 and each fed on to one of a number of square section formers which carry the cartons, base ends outwards, past means for closing the base ends. The square section cardboard or like tubes are scored transversely in an endless line a short distance from and parallel with the base edges of the tube, and each side of the carton is scored diagonally from about .the centre of its base edge to the junction of a corner of the carton and the transverse score.

In an embodiment of the invention a former is provided adapted to receive a car-ton, and adapted to be opposed to a head carrying a num-- ber of relatively translatively movable carton base engaging and closing members all located wholly uni-laterally in relation to planes radicentre approximating to the predetermined location of the centre of the base of each carton operated upon, and having side faces very close to or in said planes so as to radiate from or to be tangential with respect to a central zone of pressing operation of the head, and also all adapted to be pressed against the exposed base end of a carton and to be moved simultaneously inwards relatively to the head in tangential direction whilst in engagement with the base end parts of the carton.

In order that this invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into effect drawings are appended hereto illustrating an embodiment thereof as applied to square section tubular cartons of the type already referred to, and wherein:

- Fig. l is a diagrammatic side elevation view of a carton base closing stage of an apparatus for converting carton tubular blanks into sealed base cartons.

Figs. 2 and 3 are sectional elevation and plan views respectively of the means for engaging and forming the rosette bases of the cartons when the cartons are fitted on formers.

2 radiating symmetrically l3. At this stage the tubular carton is pressed Fig. 4 is a detail side elevation view of the part of the machine relevant to the shaping of the rosette bases of the cartons and looking on the reverse side to that shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the base end of a carton just before it is operated upon by the base closing means shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

Fig. 6 is an end elevation of a carton showing the base partially closed, and

Fig. 7 is a perspective View showing the carton base folded into rosette form and now ready for transfer to the stage where it will receive an adhesive sealing piece and be subjected to high pressure to firmly squeeze the folds into a fiat- 1 tened base.

Referring more particularly to Fig. 1 of the drawings the stack of cartons l is supported on the base 2 which has combined with it mechanism for initially distending each cart-on into tubular form, such means including a bar 4 which is engaged inside each flattened carton so as to locate one of the four walls of the square section carton firmly against the stack of cartons. Engaging the upper edge of the leading carton is a folding bar 5 which is carried across a swinging arms 6 which traverse the folding bar into an arcuate path forwardly whilst still engaging the same edge of the carton, and the result of this is to nearly open the carton to square tubular section so that it has a parallelogram or rhomboid cross section. The movements imparted to the car-ton by the combination of the bar 4 and folding bar 5 prevents one corner of the cart-on to the space adjacent to the converging sides of two rollers (not shown) having roughened peripheries and which draw the carton between them and deliver it on to a shaping plate 9 provided with means for completing the square section configuration of each carton. The carton is now of tubular form and open at both ends, the end adapted to comprise the top being presented towards and in axial alignment with one of a number of formers l2 of square section from a rotary support on to the aligned former l2, this'being effected by means of a slide M which is shown in Fig. 1, and. moved in unison with the bar 4, and carries a finger-piece l5 adapted to engage over one edge of the open base of the carton and to press the carton on to the appropriate former I2.

By the foregoing means all of the formers [2 can be fiitted with cartons and each former carries its carton through stages appropriate to pair of sealing the base of the carton and thereupon delivering each carton on to a conveyor IS.

A convenient arrangement of formers is the octagonal form shown in Fig. 1, this affording eight stages the first of which is already described. The rotary structure carrying the formers travels in the direction of the arrow and is moved intermittently by any suitable mechanism such as e. g. a Maltese cross member I! on the shaft of the rotary member I3 and the customary rotary member engaging successively in the radiating slots of the Maltese cross member. The second stage with the formers is to fold inwards the sections comprising the base of the carton, these sections being suitably creased so that when folded inwards they form a rosette base on the carton. The mechanism for forming this rosette base is shown in Figs. 2 and 3, and comprises a head l8 carrying four members hereinafter described, adapted to be moved translatively relatively to the head 18 simultaneously with the sliding movement of the head 3 radially towards the appropriate former.

Following the base-shaping stage each former carries its carton into two further stages consisting of radially reciprocated presser members l9 and 20 which are suitably heated and are urged against the opposed free end of the appropriate former so as to firmly press the rosette base into a fiat condition. When the rosette base of each carton is flattened as above described, a sealing disc or label is applied thereover at the stage 27, and this sealing disc is coated with a suitable adhesive and pressed against the appropriate carton base. The mechanism for carrying out this operation is more clearly described in a co pending application.

Referring again to Fig. 7 it will be seen that the base of the carton is folded into four trapezoidal sections la, I b, 10, Id on diagonal creases le, and the lower or horizontal corner creases If of the sides of the cartons. The action of folding the base sections on the diagonal creases le and the lower corners If of the sides of the body part produces four treble thickness parts lg and four single thickness parts lh in the base.

The base of the carton can be regarded as a rosette base, and the means for producing this rosette base is more clearly illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3 in which the head l8 has anannular plate 83 with a square opening 8| in which is engaged the base end of the carton on the appropriate former [2, by reason of the head 18 being depressed through a guide lBb fixed to a frame l3a supporting the formers l2, the arrangement being that when the base is closed it lies in the plane of the inner face of the plate 83. This depression is efiected by the reciprocation of a rod I80 actuated intermittently from a part of the machine and connected to the head l8 by a crank I M and link I8e. The folding of the four creased sections of the base forming the rosette base is efiected by the inward radial movement of four presser blocks 82 arranged be tween the flanged base l8a of the head [8 and the plate 83 fixed in relation to the plate 18a by bolts 84. The presser blocks 82 are of substan-.

tially square section and each has one side face 82a longer than the side face 82b parallel therewith to aiford an inclined leading end 820 (see Fig. 3). The sides 82a are substantially radial in relation to the axis of the presser heador, as is preferred, are very narrowly spaced away from but parallel with planes radiating from the centre of the opening 8| so as to be tangential with respect to a. very small imaginary circle at the centre of the opening 8|. Also the leading ends 820 are inclined downwardly and rearwardly into arcuate corners Me. It will be seen that the ends 820 which engage the creased base sections of the carton are inclined in two dimensions.

It will be apparent that all of the blocks 82 When the blocks 82 are urged simultaneously towards the centre of the press head the creased base sections will be folded fiat, the arcuate corneg's 82c ensuring a smooth pressing and sliding ac ion.

in Fig. 5, gradually g. in Fig. 6 towards the rosetted form shown in Fig. 7.

The presser blocks 82 are segment 91 engaging a toothed segment 900. on the ring 90.

parts of the carton.

f1. Mechanism for forming a closed rosette base en bases, and operating means common to all of said blocks adapted to reciprocate the blocks to effect said sliding action.

3. Mechanism for forming a closed rosette base end on tubular cartons comprising formers on to which the cartons are adapted to be delivered with their open base ends directed beyond the ends of the formers, a head adapted to be pressed against each such end of each former, four presser blocks slidable across said head each with one side substantially radial in relation to the centre of the head and with a carton base engaging face uni-lateral in relation to said radial side, each block having an inner or leading end which is inclined in two dimensions to engage the carton bases, operating means common to all of said blocks adapted to reciprocate the blocks to effect said sliding action, said operating means comprising a number of bell crank levers mounted for oscillation in said head and each having one limb in driving engagement with one of said blocks, an oscillatable actuating member common to said levers, the other lmbs of the levers having driving engagement with said oscillatable member.

4. Mechanism for forming a closed rosette base end on tubular cartons comprising formers on to which the cartons are adapted to be delivered with their open base ends directed beyond the ends of the formers, a head adapted to be pressed against each such end of each former, four presser blocks of substantially rectangular cross section slidable across said head each with one side substantially radial in relation to the centre of the head and with a carton base engaging face said radial side, each leading end which is uni-lateral in relation to block having an inner or inclined in two dimensions to engage the carton bases, a plate located over said sliding blocks and formed with a rectangular opening to receive the carton base, and operatingmeans common to all of said blocks adapted to reciprocate the blocks to effect said sliding action.

5. Mechanism for forming a closed rosette base end on tubular cartons comprising formers on to which the cartons are adapted to be delivered with their open base ends directed beyond the ends of the formers, a head adapted to be pressed against each such end of each former, four presser blocks of substantially rectangular cross section slidable across said head each with one side substantially radial in relation to the centre of the head and with a carton base engaging face uni-lateral in relation to said radial side, each block having an inner or leading end which is inclined in two dimensions to engage the carton bases, a plate located over said sliding blocks and formed with a rectangular opening to receive the carton base, operating means common to all of said blocks adapted to reciprocate the blocks to effect said sliding action, said operating means comprising a n ber of bell crank levers mounted for oscillation in said head and each having one limb in driving engagement with one of said blocks, an oscillatable actuating member common to said levers, the other limbs of the levers having driving engagement with said oscillatable member.

CARL WILHELM HARTMANN, 

